Call for papersPrehistory and Antiquity

Date(s)

* * *

Published on Monday, July 07, 2025

Abstract

This conference explores the identification of individuals in Prehistory—a topic that inspired several foundational studies in the late 1970s and 1980s. Nearly 50 years later, where do we stand? From the Palaeolithic to the Metal Ages, how can we attempt to identify individuals through the full range of available archaeological remains and materials? What methods can we employ to achieve this? What are the conditions of their use, their levels of resolution, and more broadly, their advantages and limitations? By applying these methods, what insights can we hope to gain into the social and economic organisation of past societies? Finally, how can we envision the future of this ambitious, yet undeniably complex, field of research?

Announcement

English Français

2026, February 26-27

Argument

The identification of individuals remains a marginal field of research in prehistoric archaeology. Since the 19th century, our discipline has sought to recognise characteristic objects within archaeological assemblages—first to establish a relative chronology of prehistory, and then to identify archaeological cultures. As a result, these objects—often stone tools—have primarily been understood as technical markers of a given period or culture, rather than as the products of individual craftsmanship.

However, in the 1970s, North American archaeology identified the individual as one of the main factors behind the variability of prehistoric artefacts, alongside technical traditions, functional properties of tools, and the raw materials used—thus placing the individual at the core of research. This phenomenon later resonated in France, where, in the 1980s, several studies highlighted the influence of individual variability in flintknapping, particularly in blade production.

Following these pioneering studies, certain research themes—such as learning processes and the recognition of skill levels—continued to generate significant interest. However, the identification of individuals has not taken off, although studies have continued to be published on the subject at more or less regular intervals, especially in recent years in the field of lithic industries.

Approximately 50 years after J.N. Hill and J. Gunn paved the way (The Individual in Prehistory, 1977, Academic Press), it seems timely to take stock of the current state of research. From the Palaeolithic to the Metal Ages, considering the full range of available materials, how can we attempt to identify individuals through the various types of remains at our disposal? What methods can we employ for this purpose? What are their conditions of application, their levels of resolution, and more generally, their advantages and limitations? By using these approaches, what insights can we hope to gain about the social and economic organisations of past societies? Finally, how can we envision the future of this ambitious but undoubtedly complex research theme?

Submission guidelines

Your abstracts must be submitted by September 1, 2025,

to the three organisers (pierre.allard@cnrs.fr; solene.denis@cnrs.fr; otouze@uliege.be). The abstracts, ranging from 150 to 300 words, should include the names of the authors and co-authors, their affiliation, and 3 to 5 keywords.

Organization

P. Allard^1,2, S. Denis^1,2, O. Touzé^2,3

Scientific Committee

P. Bodu^1,2, V. Forte⁴, L. Klaric^1,2, M. Leroyer^2,5, J.J. Padilla Fernández⁶, V. Rots^3,7, H. Vandendriessche⁸

1 CNRS, 2 UMR TEMPS, 3 TraceoLab/ULiège, 4 Sapienza University of Rome, 5 Seine et Yvelines Archéologie, 6 Universidad de Salamanca, 7 F.R.S.-FNRS, 8 Ghent University

Subjects

Prehistory and Antiquity (Main category)
Society > Ethnology, anthropology > Social anthropology
Periods > Prehistory and Antiquity > Prehistory
Society > Ethnology, anthropology > Cultural anthropology

Places

INHA Auditorium Jacqueline Lichtenstein - 2 rue Vivienne
Paris, France (75)

Event attendance modalities

Full on-site event

Date(s)

Monday, September 01, 2025

Attached files

Prehistoric_Individuals_Paris_2026_Call.pdf

Keywords

individual, skill, know-how, prehistory

Contact(s)

Pierre Allard
courriel : pierre [dot] allard [at] cnrs [dot] fr
Solène Denis
courriel : solene [dot] denis [at] cnrs [dot] fr
Olivier Touzé
courriel : otouze [at] uliege [dot] be

Reference Urls

Carnets Hypotheses

Information source

Solène Denis
courriel : solene [dot] denis [at] cnrs [dot] fr

License

This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 International - CC BY 4.0 .

To cite this announcement

Olivier Touzé, Solène Denis, Pierre Allard, « On the Trail of Prehistoric Individuals: Scientific Challenges, Methods, Perspectives », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Monday, July 07, 2025, https://doi.org/10.58079/14ak8

Author(s)

Olivier Touzé